Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City and Lomas de Zamora

For one person, living is cheaper in Lomas de Zamora: $1,223 a month against $1,855 in Panama City, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Panama City
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Panama City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Lomas de Zamora
Learn more

Lomas de Zamora Living Index

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Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,855

/mo nomad

Lomas de Zamora

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panama City and in Lomas de Zamora

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Panama City and in Lomas de Zamora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,855 in Panama City versus $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora.

Panama City $1,855
Lomas de Zamora $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,804 in Panama City versus $2,079 in Lomas de Zamora.

Panama City $2,804
Lomas de Zamora $2,079

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in Panama City versus $2,935 in Lomas de Zamora.

Panama City $3,753
Lomas de Zamora $2,935

Living in Panama City is roughly 52% more expensive than in Lomas de Zamora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City is 37% above, Lomas de Zamora is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 PAB 11.63

$10.03 ARS 15.2K

15.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.92 PAB 47.92

$53.9 ARS 81.8K

-11.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 PAB 7.96

$11.58 ARS 17.6K

-31.26%

Cappuccino

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.41 ARS 5,175

23.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 PAB 2.01

$1.96 ARS 2,978

2.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$1.70 ARS 2,572

-8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.94 ARS 5,976

-13.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 PAB 3.94

$4.66 ARS 7,070

-15.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 PAB 1.85

$1.31 ARS 1,990

41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$2.04 ARS 3,102

25.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.57 ARS 2,385

121.66%

Eggs

$2.69 PAB 2.69

$2.74 ARS 4,153

-1.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 PAB 12.57

$10.51 ARS 15.9K

19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 PAB 6.83

$10.32 ARS 15.7K

-33.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 PAB 10.58

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-20.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 PAB 4.18

$2.71 ARS 4,119

54.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 PAB 1.83

$1.95 ARS 2,955

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 PAB 4.20

$1.36 ARS 2,068

208.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 PAB 4.03

$1.99 ARS 3,019

102.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 PAB 3.48

$1.20 ARS 1,821

190.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$1.26 ARS 1,905

234.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 PAB 2.41

$1.36 ARS 2,070

77.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 PAB 1.69

$1.72 ARS 2,614

-1.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 PAB 6.14

$3.29 ARS 4,985

86.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$5.46 ARS 8,286

106.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 PAB 1.42

$1.70 ARS 2,584

-16.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$2.65 ARS 4,017

3.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 PAB 0.33

$1.04 ARS 1,575

-68.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 PAB 21.23

$26.87 ARS 40.8K

-20.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$1.61 ARS 2,445

56.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.01 ARS 1,535

84.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.78 PAB 21.78

$8.00 ARS 12.1K

172.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PAB 1.25

$1.38 ARS 2,090

-9.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$16.8K ARS 25.5M

26.52%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$30.0K ARS 45.6M

-30.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$130 PAB 130

$98.1 ARS 148.9K

32.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.13 PAB 28.13

$19.99 ARS 30.3K

40.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.21 PAB 48.21

$27.23 ARS 41.3K

77.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 PAB 45.78

$30.84 ARS 46.8K

48.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 PAB 34.92

$32.78 ARS 49.7K

6.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 PAB 8.67

$7.93 ARS 12.0K

9.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$544 PAB 544

$400 ARS 606.4K

36.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 PAB 9,697

$7,354 ARS 11.2M

31.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 PAB 66.8

$122 ARS 185.0K

-45.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.14 PAB 49.14

$96.0 ARS 145.6K

-48.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 PAB 93.9

$117 ARS 178.1K

-20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 PAB 112

$102 ARS 154.3K

9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 PAB 1,257

$517 ARS 784.9K

143.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 PAB 875

$325 ARS 493.8K

168.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 PAB 2,155

$975 ARS 1.5M

120.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 PAB 1,564

$837 ARS 1.3M

86.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 PAB 3,122

$2,953 ARS 4.5M

5.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 PAB 1,709

$1,507 ARS 2.3M

13.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 PAB 916

$761 ARS 1.2M

20.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

57.25

-88.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Panama City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lomas de Zamora: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Panama City

$875 47.2%

Lomas de Zamora

$325 26.6% 62.8% $550

Groceries & Markets

Panama City

$325 17.5%

Lomas de Zamora

$271 22.2% 16.6% $54

Eating Out

Panama City

$207 11.1%

Lomas de Zamora

$200 16.3% 3.4% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City

$206 11.1%

Lomas de Zamora

$145 11.9% 29.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City

$145 7.8%

Lomas de Zamora

$197 16.1% 36% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City

$63 3.4%

Lomas de Zamora

$47 3.8% 26% $16

Getting Around

Panama City

$34 1.9%

Lomas de Zamora

$38 3.1% 9.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,257 in Panama City and $517 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City pays 20% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Panama City vs $54.0 in Lomas de Zamora. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $271, with Lomas de Zamora cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Panama City

🇦🇷 Lomas de Zamora

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

2 h ahead of Panama City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,086,990 Capital

616,279

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.889 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.889 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Panama City Lomas de Zamora 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Panama City
Lomas de Zamora

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Panama City vs Lomas de Zamora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panama City and Lomas de Zamora differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,855 vs $1,223 including rent). Lomas de Zamora is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Panama City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,257 in Panama City versus $517 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lomas de Zamora – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $48.00 in Panama City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,855 per month in Panama City versus $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora versus $1,855 in Panama City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lomas de Zamora but tight or insufficient in Panama City. The gap between the two cities makes Lomas de Zamora the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Panama City and Lomas de Zamora are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lomas de Zamora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Panama City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.